6 months after being vandalized, the Fox River Trolley Museum still seeks funds for repairs

Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News

Joseph Hazinski, superintendent of car maintenance for the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, points toward trolley cars Friday that need new windows after being damaged in July by two young vandals.

Joseph Hazinski, superintendent of car maintenance for the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, points toward trolley cars Friday that need new windows after being damaged in July by two young vandals. (Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News)

Inside the rail barn at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, trolley cars sit with varying degrees of damage and repair. The windows of one are mostly replaced while work on another next to has yet to start.

“Until we have the people and finances, it wouldn’t be very responsible to continue until we have the means to,” said Jeff Bennett, a museum volunteer and chief car officer.

Eight trolley cars were extensively damaged in July when two boys, ages 11 and 13, broke into the barn and knocked out 70 windows. The price to repair the vintage cars, which were used as part of the South Elgin trolley system in the 1920s and ’30s, was estimated to be $110,000.

As of this week, the 53-year-old museum has received more than $51,000 via its GoFundMe page to pay for the work. “We’re about halfway home,” Bennett said.

Donations have ranged from a few dollars to as much as $5,000. One donation came from a 6-year-old boy, who donated his entire savings — $37 stored in his piggy bank — to the cause, Bennett said.

“That boy literally gave 100 percent of his financial assets,” he said. “If you think about it, he’s our number one donor.”

Corporate support has also come in. One company donated some of the windows used for one car, Bennett said. Another company donated the security system that now alerts officials if there’s a break-in at the barn, he said.

The latter came from Arlington Heights-based Imperial Surveillance, which installed security cameras, strobe lights and motion sensors in and around the barn. Eight cameras currently patrol the barn, with the sensors triggering alerts that Bennett and others receive on their smartphones.

They can also view live security footage from their phones, Bennett said, and they may livestream footage to users online, similar to technology found at national parks and zoos.

Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News

Officials at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin can now access live security footage from their smartphones. Arlington Heights-based Imperial Surveillance donated a security system to the museum after two boys broke in in July and caused $110,000 in damage.

Officials at the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin can now access live security footage from their smartphones. Arlington Heights-based Imperial Surveillance donated a security system to the museum after two boys broke in in July and caused $110,000 in damage. (Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News)

Dan Burress, president of Imperial Surveillance, said the security features will expand to the rest of the property once the weather is warmer, with the system able to support 32 cameras. Such a system costs about $20,000, he said.

“This is something that is close to my childhood, close to a lot of kids in this area,” Burress said. “To be able to touch a trolley car is a unique experience. The smells when you step into a trolley, to hear the trolley run, is something unique.”

The number of volunteers that assist the museum has increased over the last few months, Bennett said. Prior to the break-in, they had two or three people assisting with operations. The number is now a dozen, with one coming from as far away as Minneapolis.

Joseph Hazinski, superintendent of car maintenance, traveling to South Elgin from Milwaukee most Sundays and Mondays during operating season. He made the trip Friday in order to participate in the tour meant to remind people that donations are still needed.

“I came here today because this is the start of something special,” said Hazinski of the 90-mile drive from Milwaukee to South Elgin.

Supporters said fundraising efforts are ongoing and more donors are needed not just for the damage repair but to help cover the $100,000 annual cost of running the museum, most of which comes from contributions and fees.

The vandalism did not stop their tours, which run from spring to fall and include special events, like the Polar Express held during the holidays.

Bennett said there is “no ill will” toward the young boys who caused the damage. They would, in fact, welcome the boys and their families to the museum.

“We would like nothing more than to give them the opportunity to see and appreciate everything in the barn, why it’s held so close to our hearts and why it’s such an important part of the community,” he said.

Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News

Joseph Hazinski, a longtime volunteer for the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, participates in a tour Friday to show the repairs done to eight vandalized trolley cars and talk about the work that's left to do once they receive more donations.

Joseph Hazinski, a longtime volunteer for the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin, participates in a tour Friday to show the repairs done to eight vandalized trolley cars and talk about the work that's left to do once they receive more donations. (Rafael Guerrero/The Courier-News)